Tag: photography

Earnestness, uncapped passion, and curiosity tend to produce incredible photos. The ability to point a lens at a person and capture their soul, or point it at an item and capture its presence is a skill that not everyone has, but it is something that every hopeful photographer can aspire to.

For some, photography is a just method by which they plug self-indulgent images and snapshots into various online networks, and for everyone else, photography is a visual art form. It’s a practice that’s realized through art and science, through the meaningful application of electromagnetic radiation and recorded light.

Your first thought may be to pick up a photography book, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, attempt to seek out all types of content. Regard images you read in poetry, fiction, non-fiction and comics, and imagine what that work would look like. Do this while considering some of the techniques you’ve come across when examining the word of the greats.

Please visit brendantaylorfilice.com to read the rest of the blog post, which offers insightful tips on how to be a more inspired and motivated photographer. Click here to read on.

In 2013, according to Internet.org’s whitepaper, people uploaded 350 million images to Facebook each day. That’s a lot of images. Now imagine all of the images uploaded in Instagram every hour. Think about the tourists in New York photographing the Statue of Liberty. Think about tourists in India photographing the Taj Mahal, or in Brazil with Christ the Redeemer. In fact, think of all the iconic places around the world getting photographed and shared every second. There are so many images, and now think about all of the images of the past; the forgotten family snapshots, sometimes found as relics at thrift shops in piles. There are billions of photographs in the world, and now there will be exponentially more thanks to technology.

Technology is a tool that allows to experiment. Within the field, photographers take risks you couldn’t afford with film. It was too expensive and precise.

Our lives continue to become ever more connected. In that process, cameras will find their place in the “Internet of Things,” the coherent ecosystem of electronics that we use to help define our new technological existence. As more and more people use images to communicate on an everyday level, who knows how our world will change?

One of the inherit challenges about these changes is that photographer in the digital age makes everyone a professional. With a high-end camera and the right subject, great pictures are waiting to happen everywhere you go. You no longer need a teacher to guide you through the process of film processing and the terms of aperture, exposure, saturation, and so on. Digital photography also makes photography accessible and affordable to everyone. Even ordinary iPhones have high-tech cameras and built-in editing software. Now anyone can shoot quality images, edit them and share them.

However, great photography still requires the same hard work as it was in the past. It requires dedication, patience, creativity. In our new world of virtual reality and augmented reality, the best photographic artists must be willing to react to audiences who demand sophisticated imagery that is dynamic and responsive to change.

And maybe the next revolution in photography isn’t all about technology. Maybe it’s about what we see right in front of our eyes and how we show it. One of the best works this year was from Nico Young, whose collection of images about his friends, fraternal twins, was featured in the New York Times magazine. You can see “Inside Santa Monica High” online, see “Fraternal Twins.”

Whether you’re a more traditional photographer or one who enjoys the latest gear and gadgets, good photography is still the same. It’s documenting the present by producing an artistic interpretation of it. So part of you has to be a dedicated artist to be a professional.

There’s a great article by Nic Dobija-Nootens in Jenken Mag called, “The Politics of Skate Photography” that rightfully argues that the legacy of skateboarding is pretty much defined by how it’s photographed. Difficult decisions determine how these photographers get their work seen and ensure the proliferation of skateboarding’s legacy.

First, check out these basics of skate photography to familiarize yourself with the lingo.

Skateboard photography is very much amount the critical moments of the trick, the landing, the style of the boarder and the style of the board and skate park. Set the scene and define the energy. Photographers are known to shoot in clever perspectives, getting down on the ground and capturing boarders flying over their head. Close-ups are a classic method to capturing brief moments during an execution of a trick. Show speed, shadows, and learn your angles.

What is a “make” photo?

A make photo is when a skateboarder finally makes an epic trick.

Dan Zaslavsky

Nic Dobija-Nootens asked well-known photographers whether they always use these images in magazines. Dan Zaslavsky is the photographer at Thrasher, who replied,
“That’s a question that’s been asked since the inception of skateboarding magazines.
I don’t consider that a problem. I consider that a success. If he didn’t land it that try, but the photo looks rad, who gives a fuck? I will try my best to get a photo and get out of the way before the dude’s ever landed it.” When asked if he would publish a photo before the trick was properly landed, Zaslavsky says, “If I decide to let that photo slip by without them actually landing it yet, I feel I have done an injustice to skateboarding as a whole.”

Skateboarding is where art and journalism collide . If the image fails to represent the truth, even though it presents the potential (of a faithful execution of the trick), then the photographer is perpetuating a lie. It would be wonderful to look through a skate magazine with people launching off of immeasurable heights, imagining amazing feats of tricks as the land; but it would just be a false perception.

The world is constantly in motion. In cities, people rush from point A to point B – commuters on the bus, students running around at recess, police cars whizzing to the next scene. In the countryside, insects swarm over crops and winds sweep over the vast landscape. Photography inspires me because it allows the viewer to capture one single moment in time. This image will never be the same outside of the frame; it’s immediately a historical artifact as well as a reflection into your personal memory.

My favorite photography subjects are from nature. The sun rising and falling leaves a magical luster over the landscape and it’s impossible to ignore the beauty.

Here are some of my favorite moments that I’ve caught through my lens in recent months.

While driving through Mammoth Park in California, I couldn’t resist photographing this amazing natural frame created by the arc of the underpass. The beautiful bright sunlight is countered by the darkness of the tunnel. This was an incredible day with so much to see.

Have you ever seen water so clear and grass so green? I hope my children and grandchildren are able to enjoy the splendors of nature as I have been lucky to growing up in green California. If we don’t take care of our planet our climate will definitely be in danger and these beautiful vistas will be nothing but archived photos – history.

If you can’t tell, I love landscapes. Landscape photography is inspiring because it captures a sense of place. It provides the people you share your images with an source of inspiration for what this place is like – a walk in the woods or a sunset stroll in Laguna Beach. If the photograph is particularly powerful, it will evoke feelings like memories of being on the beach or happy nostalgia.

Photography is also inspiring because it’s not THAT hard. If you are struck by a certain moment in time, and you have a camera on hand, you can capture that moment! Just snap a photo. Even if you’re an amateur photographer, these photos will have an impact on you for your personal collection and for friends and family. And the more photos you take, the more skilled you will get with your tool. Your camera is your friend but it takes time to get to know each other.

Alfred Eisenstaedt was the man behind some of the most memorable pictures of the 20th century. He got his start in Weimar Germany in the 1920s. Having fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, he shot the debut of LIFE magazine in 1936 until the publication ended. The very same year he emigrated to the US he became one of the first four photographers hired by LIFE. Pretty impressive. Even when LIFE was over, Eisenstaedt continued shooting hundreds of images through the 1990s.

Eisenstaedt’s work reminds us that our tools only function when we understand the world and can translate our creative vision. All of Eisenstaedts images share the deeply humane sensibility that defined the very best work of the man’s creative eye. Who he shot, and how, is entrenched in his legacy as a photographer.

We take pictures to show the places where we’ve gone. We look at photography to explore our innermost dreams; the luxurious hotels we want to stay in one day, the mountains we want to climb, the creatures around the world we hope to see with our own eyes.

I encourage everyone to go on an adventure, inspired by photography itself. Your camera will be your guide. Your camera will be your compass. Prepare your gear, pick a destination (short term or long term) and commit to dedicated exploration of your subject through your lens.

1. Prepare

You’ll want to be diligent in choosing your gear. It may be difficult to choose which camera gear to travel with. No one wants to miss out on that perfect shot because didn’t pack the right lens, but you definitely don’t want to overpack. When you are trekking across a the dewy field, every additional ounce will way you down and start to distract you when you’re trying to shoot. So when preparing gear, keep size and weight to the lightest possible. Remember, lightweight doesn’t mean poor quality. You can get cameras that can still focus and shoot great photos.

Just as important as choosing your camera and is choosing the location. If you’re lucky to have a lot of time to take for a vacation, and can go internationally, you can start exploring options by searching photography destinations on Flickr and 500px. Check out the map features that display pictures at popular destinations. Narrow down the spots you want to travel to, analyze the captions of the images, and connect with users to get more tips on the place. My best advice is get to know as much as you can before jetting off. Guide books and travel blogs are good to get a reference of the area, but I recommend reaching out to bloggers and even photographers who have taken the same trip. These people are your best resources.

2. Pack light, pack smart

We’ve all had that moment where we run out of batteries or lose charge. Pack light but remember essential accessories such as batteries and tripods. Carry equipment in a camera-specific bag with padded inserts. A waterproof cover is also smart to keep on hand. It’s fun to take long exposure shots when you’re traveling in the open wilderness, but you’ll need a tripod to hold your camera in place. There’s a lot of work going into new mirrorless cameras recently. These cameras are gaining in popularity because they provide dSLR-like performance in a lighter and more compact package. They literally ditch the “mirror” and images are recorded directly onto the digital sensor; cameras tend to be loaded with new technology, such as WiFi uploads and mobile phone connectivity.

3. Say “Yes”

Vacation is for sleeping in, but it’s also ideal for beautiful early morning light. The magic hour is a special way to photograph your new destination. Don’t miss the golden light and long shadows at twilight.Take advantage of the night (if the weather’s right) by setting up your tripod and slowing your shutter speed in order to capture mountainous or desert landscapes lit by the blue moon. One special destination is in the northern hemisphere, Iceland for example, where you just may catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis. It’s worth the wait.

I can’t stop exploring.

I’ve been going out on hikes ever since I can remember. There’s something awesome about getting out of school, leaving the suburban sprawl, and going on an afternoon stroll.

You push past low-hanging branches, climbing higher and higher (or lower, depending on your destination), you leap from boulder to soft patches of soil, maybe losing your balance and landing clumsily on your hands on the tough surfaces. If you’re lucky, you pass a meadow blossoming with with fragrant wildflowers. You hear some some hurrying and scurrying in the grasses near you– it’s almost always a mouse or squirrel, but on a special day you catch sight of a coyote or a bear.

My favorite time of day, in the city or outside of it, is the brief hour between sunset and twilight. This is a photographer’s happy hour. I always keep my Nikon on me to catch the unpredictable moments nature provides.

There is a wonderful solitude to being along in the hectic natural world. Everything’s whirring about, bees heading to their hives, creeks running endlessly to an unidentifiable source, leaves gently falling. It can almost feel noisy. But for a human with a camera, it’s a time to be at peace and remember all the elements that make your life possible.

Please read my original post on my main site, BrendanTaylorFilice.com.